Poker is played in casinos all around the world. The popularity of poker is such that it has become something of a professional sport. There are many poker applications too available for iPhone and Android. It is said that the oldest gambling game is Poker.

How do you play poker?

Poker is a very easy game to understand. Everything depends upon value. There is no particular limit on the number of players that can play poker. Players can raise the bet or choose to skip around based on what card they have. At the end of the game, the players who lose money are eliminated. Finally, the last man standing wins. 

Blind:

Blind is the default bet a player has to place every round. It cycles from player to player. There are two types of blinds, small and big blind. Small blinds are usually given to the player left of the dealer and big blinds are given to the player right of the dealer. The number of blinds can range from zero to three. The default bet amount increases by a fixed amount every round.

Hands in poker:

Hands in poker are used to determine the value of one players’ cards over another. There are ten different hands in poker listed here from highest value to lowest value:

• Royal flush: The highest valued hand and also the rarest. A sequence of A, K, Q, J, and 10 all belonging to the same suit constitutes a royal flush.
• Straight flush: The second highest valued hand. Consists of four sequential cards belonging to the same suit. Ex: 9,7,8,6.
• Four of a kind: Consists of four cards with the same value. Can be from different suits.
• Full house: A pair and a three of a kind together in the same hand is called a full house.
• Flush: If five cards belong to the same suit but are not in sequence, it is called a flush
• Straight: Five cards in sequence but not belonging to the same suit is known as a straight. It is the opposite of a flush.
• Three of a kind: If three cards are showing the same value, it is a three of a kind.
• Two pairs: One pair together with another pair is called a two pair.
• Pair: Two cards of the same value is called a pair.
• High card: A hand that doesn’t fall into any of the above-mentioned categories is called a high card

If multiple players possess the same hand, the player with the higher value by number is the winner of the round. If the players can’t be separated even then, the reward is split among them.

Strategy: 

Poker is not a game purely based on luck. There is also skill involved. Players should be adept at reading the table and guessing other players’ hands. The concept of bluffing is also pivotal as it can help players convince other players into folding even when they have low valued hands. Players must also know when and how to raise the stakes to earn maximum winnings

Poker applications:

There are a plethora of poker applications available on smartphone devices. These normally allow only 4-8 players. They are aimed at only casual players meaning users only use in-game money to place bets. It can be extremely fun to play with friends.

As mentioned earlier, the oldest gambling game is Poker and it has retained its popularity for good reason. It’s simple yet addictive nature make it appealing to a variety of audiences.